The "World's Best Roof®" Goes Platinum 

Duro-Last’s flagship product, the custom-fabricated Duro-Last membrane, earned platinum certification under the NSF/ANSI 347 standard.

As the demand for environmentally conscious planning and construction grows, the need for manufacturers to provide sustainable products and services is more important than ever. However, until the recent development of the NSF American National Standard for Sustainable Roofing Membranes, NSF/ANSI 347, it was difficult to specify the sustainability of roofing membranes. Now specifiers and contractors have the ability to verify, with quantifiable data, the environmental impact of this essential building component.

At Duro-Last®, Inc., sustainability and environmental awareness have been a part of the culture for more than 20 years. Founder, John R. Burt, introduced the idea of recycling manufacturing scrap and aged roofing materials into resilient flooring. Those efforts have since grown into the products known today as Protect-All® flooring, Roof Trak® walkway pads and ProFlex® concrete expansion joints, all of which are manufactured by another company founded by John R. Burt, Oscoda Plastics®, Inc. By offering a roof takeback program that recycles mechanically fastened Duro-Last roofing systems at the end of their lifecycle and utilizing nearly every piece of manufacturing excess, we have been able to divert millions of pounds of waste from our nation’s landfills. Durable, environmentally conscious, high-performing products are our driving force, and we have the certifications to back it up.

In 2016, Duro-Last’s flagship product, the custom-fabricated Duro-Last membrane, earned platinum certification under the NSF/ANSI 347 standard. Duro-Last is only the second manufacturer to obtain platinum certification, and also holds gold certifications for the Duro-Tuff®, Duro-Fleece®, and Duro-Last EV membranes.

The NSF/ANSI 347 standard was developed to provide a single industry criterion for evaluating roofing membrane sustainability that incorporated every element of the product lifecycle. Products are rated in five areas of focus with the first three areas holding the most weight: design, manufacturing, durability, corporate governance, and innovation. Certifications are then awarded as compliant, silver, gold, or platinum.  By scoring the planning, sourcing, manufacturing, lifespan, and innovation of a product, as well as the operational practices of the company behind it, the NSF/ANSI 347 can provide a thorough analysis of long-term sustainability of roofing membranes.

While Duro-Last’s manufacturing sustainability earned high marks throughout the NSF/ANSI 347 evaluation, our commitment to corporate sustainability also helped us achieve the highest level of certification. For the past two years, Duro-Last has committed to reducing waste in areas outside of manufacturing practices, by removing Styrofoam cups, eliminating the waste of more than 40,000 disposable cups annually; introducing recycling stations that accept 15 different material types, increasing corporate recycling volume by 52%; and installing water bottle filling stations that have saved over 61,000 water bottles in less than one year.

“Sustainability is more than a concept at Duro-Last, it’s our way of life,” explained Sustainability Specialist Katie Chapman. “Through innovation and pure commitment, we have not only made a huge impact on the physical waste leaving our facilities, but we have also transitioned from having an annual cost for waste disposal to annual revenue for the sale of recyclables. We are proud of our accomplishments, but more importantly, of the impact we are making on the world around us.”<

To learn more about Duro-Last’s NSF/ANSI 347 certifications and commitment to sustainability, visit www.duro-last.com/sustainability.>

Editor’s note: This article first appeared on Construction Dive and can be viewed here.